Welcome to 'Transmitting to Earth'. I'm Charssun and I'll be your host. This blog and podcast is a byproduct of VoyagerRadio.com and is intended to provide the most timely information about this Internet radio station. It is also intended to be a fun and accessible electronic journal with commentary focusing on Internet radio, podcasting and webcasting issues and technologies, music, and some of my other interests. I also offer personal perspective about being an Internet radio broadcaster (and podcaster).
My Feed:
This is the RSS (and podcast) feed for this blog (and its podcasts);please copy the link and paste it to your newsreader and/or podcatcher.
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright (Though Not On My Monitor Yet)In honor of the release of the Mac operating system I apparently won't be using but actually probably will once I can afford it, here's a famous poem by William Blake: ------------The Tiger------------ This Penguin's Steering Clear of the TigerI currently use Xandros as one of my main desktop operation systems; the other is a Mac running Panther. Xandros is a flavor of Linux, another operating system you've probably heard of. (The other major operating system you're certainly familiar with is Windows, like I had to tell you that shit.) Xandros and I have been getting along rather well; my eMachine had some problems running Windows so I made the switch to Linux by installing the free version of Xandros. After a few months of playing with that and finding nearly everything working (the things that didn't work appear to have been been due to a faulty eMachines computer, which seems to be having issues), I happily upgraded to the Deluxe Desktop Edition of Xandros. So I'm happy to see that Xandros is hiring. This gives me some indication that the company is doing well, or at least expanding. It tells me they're going to be around a bit longer, and that means I'll be safe using their distro (what you call a particular flavor of Linux) - safe from having to purchase another operating system anytime soon. As for that old Mac of mine: as much as I'd love to run with the Tigers, I'd really rather not pitch out another $129 to do so. I'm sure I'll ending up buying it eventually, at a vastly reduced price on eBay or something (or maybe, if I'm really lucky, I'll find it at Goodwill). Perhaps my girlfriend will pick it up at the educational discount price. For now, I'm sticking with Xandros; it's cheap and it runs everything I need it to, and more.  This issue of Wired simply moves me; perhaps it's The Force. In any case, you can now read the online version of Steve Silberman's article on Darth--I mean, uh, George Lucas. Listen To The Force, JediSpeaking of Star Wars, TheForce.Net now has a Star Wars Podcast. Now ain't that the bee's knees? (Or the droid's 'roids?) Darth Lucas: Coming to a Newsstand Near YouToday I received the May issue of Wired. This month's subtitle: "Feel the Force". I wish I had an image of the cover to share with you, but I don't have a scanner and the Wired website is still currently selling April's issue. I'll describe it for you, though: George Lucas/Darth Vader graces the cover. It's a split image, half the face belonging to the Star Wars director, the other to the most famous Darth of them all (not this guy, though the likeness to Vader is chilling). The cover image betrays Lucas' self-comparison to the villain he created for his films. And I thought I was hard on myself... Pluck Me!I almost hate to admit it, but fuck, I've been using Pluck. The RSS aggregator caught my attention as it was advertised on my blog one day. My first impression was that it wasn't nearly as usable as I desired; I have to admit, however, that lately I've been using Pluck more than I've been using my other aggregator. Both are web-based aggregators, as I tend to jump from computer to computer throughout the day, and I prefer to have continuous access to one aggregator. Check out Pluck, but don't tell anyone I'm using it. I'm supposed to be using one of the ones everyone else is using, aren't I? I'm not cool, anyway, and I tend to like uncool things, like operating systems named after sexy, dangerous felines. Roar. Heh. Free MP3 Downloads and More!If this is your first time visiting this site, allow me to 'splain, Lucy. This site may not be pretty, but hey--I've got free MP3 downloads, babies! Legal ones, too. That's because I have one of those podcasts playing legally-downloadable music. So stick around, or make sure to add my Atom feed to your RSS aggregator so that you won't even have to type this website's URL into your browser the next time you want to find out what's posted here. Once you've done all that, why not head over to Jason Evangelho's Insomnia Radio and stay up all night listening to some great music. Jason is another one of that crazy bunch of podcasters showcasing fair-licensed music. The Mystery of the Hidden Feedback FormThe feedback form I've had hidden somewhere on the VoyagerRadio website for some time now just received its first submission. I'm not sure how to decipher this one, though, and I have a feeling it might be spam. Oh, well; maybe it's a good thing the form isn't very prominent on the site. The feedback form is linked to from somewhere on the VoyagerRadio site; if you can tell me precisely where this link appears I'll send you a prize. (The first person who tells me this, that is.) Email me the answer (or your guess). Introducing the Tesla Internet Radio AwardIn honor of The National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Award, I'm going to suggest an award of my own: the Tesla Internet Radio Award. This award will be presented to those inventors and innovators who have been relatively unrecognized for their contributions. My first nominee: Dave Winer, who's ongoing development of RSS technology has made it possible for the world to podcast. Long live the Podcast Purveyor! Nine Inch Nails Offers Session Recording to Mac UsersRemarkable. One of my favorite artists, Trent Reznor (also known as Nine Inch Nails, a tattoo of which I have on my arm--my one and only tattoo), is freely offering his next single to the public as a digital file that can be remixed in Apple's GarageBand application. Trent has taken the actual multi-track Pro Tools audio session and converted the tracks into AppleLoop format. This is an (borrowing from Steve Jobs) amazing and beautiful treat for Reznor's fans; more artists should follow Trent's lead and offer goods this genuine to their fans. My only disappointment: I won't be able to do anything with this file. Since I don't have GarageBand, and can't currently afford a Mac that will run the application--even at the lower price of $500 for a Mac mini--I won't be able to use the file. Besides, I already have an audio editing application, the open source (and free) Audacity. Still, if someone can convince Trent to make those tracks available in their original Pro Tools format, I'd be certain to fire up Mac OS 9 and bust out the Tools to pretend I'm a genius producer and remix artist. Does anyone know how I can work with Trent's tracks on my old Mac, or on any other system (PC or Mac)? The Amazing Live SeaMonkey Project!I love the name (or code-name): SeaMonkey. But will the software continue to be great? Of course it will. It's open source, of course, and that means it will always have the chance to be improved, even if someone or some group screws it up. That's how open source works, and that's how the Netscape browser will live forever, in one form or another. I'm talking about the Mozilla Suite, based on what was formerly known as Netscape. (Which itself was based on Mosaic, wasn't it?) Mozilla is being retired by the Mozilla Foundation, who've chosen to focus their resources on the development of the Firefox browser. An offshoot group has chosen to take the mantle, so to speak, continuing development of Mozilla with a project code-named SeaMonkey (for which they're actively recruiting QA testers). Meanwhile, a company called Round Two is making plans to improve upon Firefox by introducing new Firefox extensions. Other companies have announced similar plans. All this activity--this branching out, this building upon builds, this revitalization of software from its suspended-animation state, so to speak--is made possible due to open source licensing. Hallelujah for that, and don't forget to feed your Real! Live! Sea Monkeys! once in awhile (but not too much or the water will get murky and all your little Sea Monkey's will die). Yahoo! Magic or Yahoo! Murder?I've been hearing quite a bit about this piece of commentary written by Om Malik, "How Yahoo Got Its Mojo Back". Yahoo, of course, is the popular Internet directory (and now search engine) also referred to as Yahoo! (Yahoo with a question mark). Om asserts that after years of unsavory maneuvers, Yahoo! is once again getting its mojo back by adding features attractive to both their bottom line and to their users. Not everyone agrees with Om's assertion. Dave Winer, in a recent edition of his Morning Coffee Notes podcast, expressed some scepticism about some of Yahoo!'s recent product releases, such as the new Yahoo! 360° (described by a Washington Post reporter as "bewildering"). Dave seems to feel that Yahoo! made a mistake introducing the 360° service, especially after recently acquiring an immensely popular service which has similar features, Flickr. So what do you think? Has Yahoo! got its mojo back? Is the company making magical moves once again, or is it continuing, like Google, on a terminal decline? AMP Website RevisedThe new and gorgeously rendered AMP website is now available for your perusal. Notice that my podcast Tempo of the Down is listed there as an AMP Member. AMP is the Association of Music Podcasting, an organization founded to "unite podcasters who play awesome, legally available independent music". AMP was also formed to help the musicians, bands, and labels who license their works for legal distribution in podcasts; listeners may also benefit from the organization's resources (and certainly from being exposed to some great music). I'm Looking for a Newsletter ToolI'm looking for a great email newsletter tool or service that I can use to keep in touch with you. I've been seeking a good alternative to Yahoo!'s solution which, though free, leaves much to be desired--such as the ability to customize your newsletter. I think my search for a better newsletter manager fell off the radar once I including RSS feeds on my blog. It's easy to think that you've found the ultimate solution once you begin offering RSS; after all, with RSS my readers (or listeners, when it comes to podcasting) have every opportunity to customize how they wish to receive my commentary. Yet RSS isn't being used by everyone yet, so it's a good idea to continue delivering your content via email, too. So my search for a newsletter tool is back on my radar. If anyone knows of a great email newsletter tool/manager/service that is also very low cost--something much more customizable than Yahoo!'s free solution--please let me know about it. The Association of Music PodcastingThe Association of Music Podcasting, also referred to as AMP, was set up to facilitate the process of finding, playing, and generally promoting music that can legally be podcasted (i.e., downloaded and distributed). Visit musicpodcasting.org to find out how the organization can benefit you and be sure to visit AMP's new forum. Already in April, and Podcasting is Moving Right AlongHere were are, already in April of 2005. My, how fast the time goes by. Podcasting was introduced just last year, and already Clear Channel is experimenting with the format and porn podcasts are becoming a topic of discussion (well, according to me). Can you believe it? Well, you shouldn't, because not everything you read is true, especially on April Fools Day. Except for that Clear Channel news, which I almost wish wasn't true. Almost, I say, because I don't want podcasting to be taken over by Big Business--though it's nice to see the Behemoth of Broadcasting take serious notice of our little movement. There's nothing to worry about, though. I don't really believe podcasting will be taken over by my so-called "Big Business". It will certainly be transformed in some ways, no doubt, but I'm hoping these transformations will benefit both the corporate and the artist or hobbyist podcasters. You know what they say: April showers, May flowers. After the downpour some truly beautiful works will surely emerge. Besides this blog, a narrative blog called something that happened, and various other projects, I also moderate a discussion forum: Please consider subscribing to engage in a dialogue about all things having to do with Internet radio! |
Send Us Your Music
Artists! Want to be heard on this station? Email your MP3 audio, one file at a time, to our Program Director or mail your CD promo(s) to the following address:
Harold J. JohnsonVoyagerRadio
547 Gayley Avenue #1
Los Angeles, CA 90024 Make certain to let use know whether we may use the audio in our podcast, too!
Download the Podcast
We are officially podcasters now that we have revitalized and reintroduced our downtempo show Tempo of the Down, this time around as a podcast. Now showcasing independent downtempo we've been granted permission to offer for download, Tempo of the Down is our entry into the future of Internet radio.
Head over to our new Podcast area to download the latest session!
